Straight advice from the dispatch deskYour First Hour After a Leak or Flood
What you do before the crew arrives can save a floor, a wall, or a whole room. None of this replaces professional drying, but it buys you time.
Start by stopping the water. Locate the main shutoff and turn it clockwise as far as it will go. In older homes near downtown Merrick it is often in the basement on the front wall where the line comes in from the street. In newer subdivisions it is usually in the garage, a utility closet, or near the water heater. Condo and apartment owners may find their unit shutoff under a sink or behind an access panel, and building maintenance can close the riser if it comes to that.
Make the space safe. If water is near outlets, power strips or the electrical panel, do not walk through it to reach the breaker. Call the utility or wait for the crew. Watch the ceiling. Drywall that bulges or sags is holding water and can come down without warning, so keep people and pets out from under it.
Photograph it all before anything moves. Take wide photos of each room, then close-ups of the source, the waterline on walls, and damaged belongings. A quick walk-through video with the date visible is even better, and your adjuster will appreciate it.
Start air moving, carefully. If the power is safe and the water is clean, open interior doors and run a few household fans to keep air moving across wet surfaces. Do not open windows on a hot, humid day, since you will pull more moisture into the house than you remove. In winter, keep the heat on so pipes do not freeze again and materials keep giving up water.
Lift what you can. Move rugs, electronics, paperwork and anything with sentimental value to a dry room. Slide aluminum foil or plastic lids under furniture legs so stain and rust do not transfer into wet carpet. Leave built-ins and heavy pieces for the crew.
What to avoid: Do not run a household vacuum on wet floors, do not turn the HVAC on high hoping it will dry things out, and do not start tearing out drywall before it has been photographed and measured. If the water came from a toilet, a floor drain or outdoors, treat it as contaminated and keep your bare hands out of it.
Then call. The sooner a crew starts extraction, the more of your home stays in place instead of ending up at the curb. If any of it feels unclear, the dispatcher can talk you through it while the contractor is driving over.